Pittsburgh Opera presents THE LONG WALK

Pittsburgh Opera brings a gripping, contemporary American opera to the CAPA School Theater in Jeremy Howard Beck's The Long Walk. With a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann, The Long Walk is based on the book The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows by Brian Castner.

The opera is a deeply personal exploration of a soldier's return from Iraq where he served as an officer in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit and his battle with what he calls "the Crazy" as he tries to reintegrate into his family life.

'The long walk' is the term for when a bomb disposal expert puts on their bomb suit and walks, alone, towards an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which they must disarm. As Castner explains in an interview, "It is an extremely lonely experience; no one can help you." However, 'the long walk' also refers to the struggle to re-integrate back into one's own life upon returning to the United States, a struggle which Castner shares with brutal honesty.

Commissioned by American Lyric Theater in 2012, the opera was developed under the auspices of the Composer Librettist Development Program, and premiered at Opera Saratoga in 2015. The Times Union called it "a daring operatic depiction of war's aftermath"; another reviewer said it "hits on all that makes us human."

Pittsburgh Opera is proud to be the first performing arts organization to bring The Long Walk to Pittsburgh. Tickets are available online.

Tickets and Group Discounts

• Tickets to all performances of The Long Walk start at $50
• All performances are at the Pittsburgh CAPA Theater, 111 9th St, in downtown Pittsburgh
• To purchase tickets, call 412-456-6666, visit the Theatre Square Box Office, or buy online at https://opera.culturaldistrict.org/production/51808/the-long-walk
• Group discounts are available. For discounted group tickets (6 or more), contact Regina Connolly at 412-281-0912, x 213

Sponsors

• PNC is the 2017-18 Pittsburgh Opera Season Sponsor
• WQED-FM is Pittsburgh Opera's Media Sponsor
• Tuesday performance sponsor: Ambridge Regional Distribution and Manufacturing Center
• These performances are supported by the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University

Commission Underwriting and Developmental Support for The Long Walk has been provided by OPERA America/The Opera Fund, The MAP Fund, The New York State Council on the Arts, and The ASCAP Foundation. Commissioned by American Lyric Theater, Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director. World Premiere: Opera Saratoga, July 10, 2015.